Wednesday, January 16, 2008

DIY Garden Water Fountain

DIY garden water fountain with Ups-A-Daisy planter insertsA water fountain can add interest and attract beneficial animals, birds and insects to any garden. Unfortunately, garden fountains are expensive and sometimes too heavy or too large to be kept on small patios and decks. But with two Ups-A-Daisy planter inserts you can convert two pots into a garden water fountain you can be proud of that will not only provide a soothing sound but one that can attract beneficial birds and insects to your garden paradise at a fraction of the cost of garden water fountains you've seen at the home improvement stores.

Supplies you'll need: Two Ups-A-Daisy planter inserts, potting soil, plants and a fountain pump you can find at your local home improvement store.

DIY garden water fountainOne of your pots should be larger than the other to act as your base. If your containers have drainage holes you can easily seal them with a bit of aquarium sealant. Place the larger pot on the bottom and place an Ups-A-Daisy planter insert in the middle of the pot.

The second and smaller of your two pots goes on top of the Ups-A-Daisy your just inserted. Thread your water pump through the second Ups-A-Daisy planter insert like in the image to the right. This is the pot that will hold the water make sure to seal this pot so that water doesn't drain down and out to the larger pot.


DIY garden water feature for decks and patiosOnce the water pump has been threaded through the Ups-A-Daisy planter insert it should sit on top of the Ups-A-Daisy planter insert like in the photo of the homemade water fountain to the right. You can click on the images of the water fountain to get a larger view. We have the bones of our DIY water fountain project and next well add the gravel, plants and water.






DIY garden water feature for patio garden with Ups-A-DaisyFill the top, and smaller pot which has been sealed, with either gravel or decorative stones. The stones not only hold the water pump in place but they mask your pump and affect the sound the water makes as it splashes. Add potting soil to the bottom pot so that the Ups-A-Daisy planter insert is covered with an inch of soil all around and then place your plants and fill around their root base. Make sure to fill the smaller pot with the pump inside before you turn on your pump.





DIY garden water fountain feature with Ups-A-Daisy planter insertsNow you can turn your pump on and enjoy your DIY garden water fountain that took you only moments to complete, didn't cost your an arm and a leg and can be moved and disassembled with ease. If you would like to add even more interest and plant variety to your water feature you can fill the smaller pot with water loving plants like papyrus, water hyacinth and lily pads.